“We were all were rooting for each other in Chicago, and we still are. I moved there knowing almost no one, having delusion and thinking I was special, to falling in love with my comedy community. There was some point in my life where I let myself be truly who I am. Now, I feel like I could do anything.”
-Meg Stalter, episode 276 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
This week we are joined by comedian Meg Stalter! With season two of Hacks, we talk about her role as Kayla the assistant (5:50), a formative experience in a middle school drama class (12:50), moving from Ohio to Chicago to perform (17:54), and how she pushed boundaries on stage (19:47) with the support of her comedy community (22:34). We also unpack the strange sensation of going viral (25:19) before reenacting a trademark Meg Stalter bit (27:14).
On the back half, we discuss her beloved quarantine sets on Instagram Live (34:52), the specificity of her Midwestern characters (41:16), and how her curiosity in people is at the core of her work (42:52). To close, Meg reflects on her blessed journey (48:54) and where she hopes to go in the years ahead (49:52).
Show-notes:
- Watch Season 2 of Hacks on HBO.
- Follow Meg Stalter on Instagram and Twitter.
- Watch her videos on TikTok.
- For more talks, hear our conversations with Bill Hader, Cate Blanchett, Ted Danson, Melanie Lynskey, Tituss Burgess, Poorna Jagannathan, Nick Offerman, and Jenny Slate.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Illustrations by: Krishna Shenoi. Reference photograph by Arin Sang-urai.
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